


Fay Woodcroft and the Clash of Magic

by jesuislarousse



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Bisexual Female Character, Explicit Language, F/F, F/M, Multi, Original Character(s), Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-05
Updated: 2015-09-05
Packaged: 2018-04-19 03:07:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4730600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jesuislarousse/pseuds/jesuislarousse
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fay Woodcroft is a British orphan, completely unaware for the first sixteen years of her life that she is a muggle witch. She is summoned to Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry on her seventeenth birthday, and it is much, much more than she expected. When the Clash of Magic is announced, she must prove herself and learn to cope with an unimaginable secret.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

16 Years I lived in Wool's orphanage, waiting to be adopted. _16 long years._

All I could remember from my childhood was being left at the orphanage by a man, my father I supposed, and waiting for him to come back every single day like a bloody fool, but, of course, he never returned. The younger children encouraged me to remain optimistic, but that was easy for them to say. _They_ got adopted in a heartbeat, but I stayed put. I was the eldest by 9 years. I just had to accept the fact that the orphanage was my permanent home, that I was unwanted, but something incredible happened the night before my birthday that would prove me wrong.

It was August 5th, and I was called downstairs because I had a visitor. An actual _visitor_. I bounded down the stairs as quickly as possible, ready as I'd ever be to meet the wonderful person who would finally save me from this awful place. I stopped in my tracks when I saw the headmistress with a giant, portly man, 11'6" to be exact, with a big bushy head of hair and a matching beard. His nose had turned red from the bitter British weather, and his little brown eyes looked into mine with certainty.

"Miss Woodcroft," the gloomy headmistress said, "This is Rubeus Hagrid."

"How d'yeh do?" Hagrid grinned down at me.

"Wipe that smile off your face, child, he hasn't come to adopt you. He's recruiting you for school." I frowned. I had heard things about this school business,…mostly bad.

"Oh…" I looked down at the floor, disappointed. And there I was ready to go to my new home and make a new life for myself.

Hagrid chuckled, "This is no ordinary school, Miss Woodcroft. Hogwarts is fer children who show magical ability. You shoulda received a letter when yeh turned 11, but we couldn' seem to reach yeh."

The headmistress cleared her throat nervously, like she was hiding something, "Go get your things, child."

"Oh, no, she don' leave until August 31st." Hagrid said, "I'll take her ter Diagon Alley the mornin' of ter get 'er school supplies. She must wake up early ter catch the Hogwarts express." He smiled again at me, "I'll see yeh later then." and left.

Both pretty shocked and confused, the head mistress and I stood quietly for a while. She broke the silence with, "Alright, off to bed, Woodcroft", and as usual, I had to obey.

I lay wide awake in my bed that night, unable to think of anything else but Rubeus Hagrid and this magical school. It had all happened _so_ quickly. Perhaps it had just been a dream and I was going to wake up in a few minutes? Magic wasn't real…as far as I knew. Neither were giants. But I'd just met one, and he looked pretty real to me. At around two o'clock in the morning, my brain had stopped racing with thought, and my tiredness finally took over. My eyes fluttered shut.

_In just over three weeks I'll be out of this place…_

I woke up at 8 in the morning on August 31st as I had been instructed to, and almost squealed with joy when I realized I hadn't been dreaming. I got dressed in a dark green turtleneck sweater and ripped jeans, set my bag aside, and looked around for my cat, "There you are." She was underneath my bed. "Today's the day, Grey. We're outta here." I picked up my long-haired black kitten, Greystoke, and carefully inserted her inside my coat. This was something Greystoke had become accustomed to, as the orphanage didn't allow pets. After double checking the room, I hurried downstairs with a smile stretched across my face. "Morning, Hagrid!" He was waiting with the headmistress, looking equally as excited as I did.

"'Ello, Fay! Ready ter go?"

"Yes, sir."

"We'd best get goin' then; the train leaves at 11 sharp."

"Fay." The headmistress stopped me as I was heading out the door, "Good luck."

Hagrid took me to Diagon Alley, a concealed street near Charing Cross Road, where I was to buy the necessary materials for school including a wand, subject books, a standard 2 pewter cauldron, a set of brass scales, a set of glass or crystal phials, a kit of basic potion ingredients, and a telescope. It seemed like the stuff of fairy tales. "So, 'ow abou' we get yeh a wand, eh?" Hagrid looked down at me. I was overjoyed, but extremely nervous to the point of shaking. "Excited?" He asked.

"Excited is an understatement, but I'd like to know why I, of all people, was chosen for this. Hell, I thought I was just some ordinary girl…" As we walked to the wand shop, Greystoke trotting by my side, Hagrid explained that I was a 'muggle-born' witch, which meant I was born to non-magical parents, but the descendant of a distant ancestor. I was astounded, and more confused than I'd ever been before, but my concentration soon shifted to the shop window of Eeylops Owl Emporium, where different kinds of owls sat on wooden perches inside. One particular owl caught my attention. It was a little brown burrow owl with big yellow eyes. I walked over to look at it, and saw Hagrid follow from the reflection in the glass.

Assuming I wasn't going to leave the premises without this owl on my arm, Hagrid chuckled and opened the shop door, "After you."

I ran straight to the little burrow owl, "Hello." I smiled at it. It jumped right onto my arm, seeming to trust me immediately. "Hagrid!" I called for him to come and look.

"Well, look at tha'." Hagrid stroked the breast of the bird with two pudgy fingers. "He's a tiny little feller, in'ne?" The owl tilted its head and looked up at me with its big yellow eyes. "Wha're yeh goin' ter name 'im?"

"You…you mean I can have him?"

"Yeh…consider it a belated birthday treat." Hagrid grinned. Happier than I'd ever felt in my life, I flung my arms around the giant in a tight hug.

"Thank you, Hagrid." He chuckled and patted me on the back with a large hand. I turned back to the little owl and invited it to hop back onto my arm. It did, and I smiled, "Good boy, Wingbeak."

A little over two hours later, Hagrid and I had purchased all of the necessary materials for school, and were rushing to the train station. It was 10:50, and we had only just managed to make it inside. "Look fer platform 9 3/4." Hagrid told me and patted my shoulder. "I'll see yeh soon. Good luck." Once he left, I felt hopeless, like I was going to get lost and miss the train. I began to push my luggage cart with all my strength; it seemed to weigh a ton with Wingbeak in his cage on top of my bag, and Greystoke curled up next to him.

"9 and 3/4…" I looked around for a sign, my eyes darting in every direction. I noticed a large crowd, and naturally, stopped. I watched a boy about my age with dark brown hair and circular glasses run into a brick wall in between platform 9 and 10, and disappear right before my eyes. I couldn't believe it no matter how hard I tried. After him, a boy with red hair disappeared through the wall.

"After you." A brunette girl smiled in my direction. I nodded, and forced myself forward. I waited on the other side of the wall for the girl to pass through, dumbfounded at what I'd just done. "Hello." The girl held out her hand. "Hermione Granger."

"Fay Woodcroft." I shook it. Hermione and I made our way onto the train, only a minute before departure in fact, and I could finally breathe when we sat down. Greystoke and Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, sniffed each other and got acquainted as us two talked.

"So, I'm guessing this is your first year at Hogwarts?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, I'm new."

"How old are you? You don't look eleven."

"I'm 17. I'm an orphan. I'm a…uh…late admission."

"...Interesting eyes..." Hermione observed my oddly coloured eyes. I was one of the few people in the world cursed with heterochromia iridum. My right eye had always been sky blue, and my left eye had always been dark brown.

I moved a strand of red hair out of my face and looked away, embarrassed, "I was cursed with them."

"No, they're beautiful." Hermione assured me with a smile. Before I could answer, the door to the cabin opened and two boys stepped inside. It was the boy with the circular glasses, and the younger redhead.

"Ronald, Harry, this is Fay Woodcroft." Hermione introduced me.

"Hiya." I said, shyly.

The redhead skittishly sat next to Hermione and nodded at me, "Ron Weasley…" He stared at my eyes like they were the portal to hell. It irritated me quite a bit.

"Harry Potter." The boy with glasses smiled, shook my hand, and then sat down next to me. As soon as Harry's hand had left mine, he reached for his forehead, "Ow…" I flinched. Maybe I'd squeezed too hard?

"I-I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?"

"It's fine." Harry assured me, looking just as confused. I noticed a little red scar on his forehead.

"So…how long's the ride?" I turned my attention back to Hermione.

"We'll probably arrive after nightfall." She observed her watch. I sighed; 9 hours on a train sounded anything but appealing. Surprisingly, though, I managed to sleep for about 6 hours, only waking occasionally. When I woke up completely, I noticed I had been leaning on Harry's shoulder, but he, as well as Ron and Hermione, was asleep. I blushed; he was rather cute. I stayed awake for the final 2 and a half hours, looking out the window at the beautiful starry night sky. It was the same sky I had looked at for the past 17 years from my bedroom window, but somehow, that night, it just seemed so much more... _magical_.


	2. Chapter 2

When we arrived at Hogwarts, my heart began to race. The castle was absolutely _enormous_. Any new student was bound to get lost in it. "W-where do I go?" I asked Hermione, beginning to panic.

"Well, since it's your first year, you'll get on that boat over there and it will take you across the Black Lake to the castle. Then you'll go to the sorting ceremony."

"Sorting ceremony?"

"Come on, Hermione!" Ron called for her, impatiently.

"I'll see you at dinner." Hermione smiled apologetically.

_Fuck._

"Fay!" A familiar voice called. It was Hagrid. "There yeh are! How was yeh're trip?" Because I was asleep for most of the ride, I didn't really know the answer to that question. Although, I did have a nice snuggle with Harry Potter.

"Oh, yeah, it was good."

"Good, good. Come on over ter the boat. All first years ter the boats!" Hagrid called. He helped me into one of the small boats with the other new students, and I sat awkwardly in between two prepubescent giggling girls around the age of eleven. Hagrid, who was the gamekeeper, climbed on board a boat of his own, and then, all by itself, the boats began to sail over to the castle. All of us, being first year students, were gobsmacked, giving each other looks of astonishment. A smile crept across my face. It was certain; I loved school already.

When the boat docked, we were sent to this 'sorting ceremony' that Hermione had mentioned. I was the eldest one there, but being average size at 5'4", I didn't stand out too much. I began to listen in on conversations the little kids were having. I didn't make out much besides the four repeated terms 'Ravenclaw', 'Slytherin', 'Gryffindor', and 'Hufflepuff'. I turned my attention to the front of the room where an old, battered, brown witch's hat was being placed on students' heads. It would announce one of the strange terms aloud, there would be an applause, the student would sit at their new house table, and then the next child was called up.

The hat sorted hundreds of kids before it was my turn, due to my last name being at the very end of the alphabet. I was slowly falling asleep, but the loud announcement of my name woke me right back up. "Fay Woodcroft!" The headmistress, Minerva McGonagall, called out. My heart began to pound as all eyes landed on me, and as I walked to the front of the room, my legs began to feel like noodles. I gave the sorting hat a good look over. Growing impatient, Professor McGonagall placed a hand on my shoulder and sat me down on the stool, and the hat was placed on my head.

"Hm…ambitious, clever, powerful, very resourceful, but also creative, witty, and original…" The hat thought deeply, and I thought I was going to be sick. "Seems it would be best to place this one in Slytherin…but…" The nervousness I felt with all those eyes on me and the intensity of waiting for the hat's decision grew worse with every second. "I shall go with…Ravenclaw!" It finally announced, and the table that sat a sea of students dressed in blue and silver applauded. Having no idea what that word meant, I slowly got up and made my way over to them.

A few more kids were sorted after me, and then the professors and the student body enjoyed a feast. I can't remember ever eating as much as I did on that night. When the ceremony ended and everyone was leaving the Great Hall, I looked around for anyone I knew. While searching, I caught a professor staring at me. He was tall and pale, with short greasy black hair, probably in his thirties. He had an eerie and somber look about him. He watched me like a hungry tiger. Pretending I was looking at something else, I turned back and left the Great Hall with everyone else.

The different houses followed their prefects to their dorms, and I strayed in the back of the Ravenclaw group, sheepishly. My eyes were fixed on the house ghosts flying about, and I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. Inevitably, I bumped into someone. "Hey, watch it, mudblood!" A tall boy with blonde hair grimaced at me, a gang of fellow students at his side. He was wearing the Slytherin colours.

"S-sorry."

"S-SORRY!" He mimicked me. His friends laughed as they walked away. "Filthy mudblood…" I heard him spit in disgust.

_Mudblood? What language are these people speaking?_

"That's your bed there." My roommates were fellow Ravenclaws Cho Chang, Padma Patil, and Luna Lovegood, who all congratulated me on joining the "best house in Hogwarts". Considering it was rather late and it had been a long day, we all just collapsed onto our four-poster beds and drifted off to sleep. There'd be other times for getting acquainted, I supposed.


	3. Chapter 3

"Sleep well?" Luna asked at breakfast the next morning. She sipped her glass of orange juice.

"Um…not as well as I'd have liked. I guess I'm just nervous..."

"Well, maybe we'll have some classes together?" Luna tried to cheer me up. Her squeaky Irish accent was starting to grow on me.

"My first class is potions with Slytherin professor Severus Snape…" I read out loud from my schedule.

"Ooh." Parvarti Patil gave me a sympathetic look.

"…What? Is that bad?"

"Anything involving Snape is bad…"

"Well…just...stay clear of Draco Malfoy…" Hermione warned me, "I saw you bump into him last night. He's one of the reasons why Slytherin is so dastardly. His father was a prefect of Slytherin back in the day. The Malfoys only believe in "pure-bloods", so they don't take too kindly to muggle witches like you and me." There was that word again. _Muggle_.

Luna put a hand on my shoulder and smiled, "You'll be fine. Trust me."

As I made my way to potions, I could feel my hands shaking under the cauldron and potion ingredients I was carrying. I was _so_ nervous. I felt like a phony compared to the pure and half bloods. I reached the classroom a few seconds after class had started and struggled to open the door, as I had no free hands to grab with. As soon as my hand touched the doorknob, it opened, and there stood in front of me was that same professor from the Sorting Ceremony. I gasped and nearly dropped my things. He towered over me at nearly 6'2", and his black eyes stared down at me, menacingly. I froze like a frightened rabbit. Then he said very slowly and deeply, "You're late…."

"I-I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"…Let's hope so…" He stepped aside and let me into the classroom. Once I was past the professor, I rushed to the empty seat next to Harry Potter, relieved that I wasn't in any sort of trouble. Harry acknowledged me with a small smile. I looked over at the chalkboard where a name was written. _Professor Snape._ A few minutes after I had arrived, the door crashed open again, and Ron came running in like a lunatic. Snape didn't look up from his textbook; he didn't even lift a finger. In fact, he looked like he was quite used to it. "Ronald Weasley…" The red haired boy's icy blue eyes opened wide and his mouth curled into a frown as he waited for his scolding. "Sit…down…" Ron stood there, shocked that the professor hadn't smacked him over the head with his book or thrown the chalkboard eraser at him. "SIT DOWN." Ron scurried over to the seat next to Hermione, and class officially began. "Turn to page 394…" Snape told us.

As we were all reading quietly to ourselves, I looked up and gasped when I saw the professor stood in front of me. "A muggle…" He looked me over with his mysterious black eyes, "seventeen years old...a first year student...Tell me, have you any knowledge on the art that is potion making?"

"…No, sir..."

"...Any knowledge on magic at all?"

"...N-no, sir, but, um, I can speak...'Parsel...tongue', I believe?...which is a _language_ of magic..." Harry looked up from his book at me with wide eyes, as did Snape. I didn't realize that telling my professor that piece of information would be the worst mistake of my life.

"...See me after class, Woodcroft." I stared at where Snape had stood moments ago, not knowing what to think or expect.

"…You speak parseltongue!?" Harry whispered. I nodded, not knowing what to say. I could speak the language ever since I was seven years old. On a cold night in January, a large snake had slithered in through the window into my room. Instead of screaming and running away like any normal person would have done, I sat there and _spoke_ to it. I didn't feel like telling Harry this, though. I then felt something hit me in the back of the head and fall to the floor. I picked up the crumpled piece of paper and read the message scribbled inside:

_You're dead, mudblood._

I turned around to see Draco Malfoy smiling wickedly at me, but then bit my lip trying not to laugh when Professor Snape struck him across the back of his head with a book.

When class ended 50 minutes later, I approached the professor at his desk. He didn't look up from his papers. "Sir?" The last of the few remaining students in the room left, and we were alone. "...S-sir?" The professor bounded up from his chair and rammed me against the wall, his face only a few inches away from mine. He smelled of crisp paper, various potion ingredients, and ink. Scared, I tried to push my head back away from him, but the stone wall kept me from doing so. Snape placed his hands above my head on the wall, trapping me. I couldn't get any words out. I couldn't even compute what was going on.

"I know what you are, Woodcroft…You're not just an orphan muggle…You're much more than that, aren't you?"

"…Sir?"

_What the fuck is going on?!_

"Don't play games with me, Woodcroft. Anyone who can speak Parseltongue is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin...with the exception of Potter, of course…" He snarled, "There's something you're hiding from everyone, and if you don't tell me, I will not hesitate to make your first year here a living hell. You and Potter can't hide your secrets from me forever…" After a short moment, the professor let me go, and I dashed out of the room.

As soon as Herbology ended that day, I ran straight to the bathroom and locked myself in one of the stalls. I was still in shock from what had happened after potions class. I sat on the floor of the stall, my eyes staring straight forward. I hadn't a clue what my professor was talking about, especially this 'secret' involving me and Harry.

_I have a secret I myself don't even know about…_

"Fay?" A voice called. It sounded like Luna. "Are you okay?" She walked up to the stall, and I opened it and pulled her inside.

"Professor Snape." I said, "He…he…"

"What? He what?"

I struggled to get any words out, just stuttering noises. After we both sat down on the floor, Luna stroking one of my hands comfortingly, I managed to tell her everything. We didn't even go to lunch. I asked her about Salazar Slytherin, and I told her about my ability to speak Parseltongue. Luna was certain neither Harry nor I were related to Salazar, but that we both possessed strange, unspeakable powers. We discussed Snape's shocking actions, but Luna wasn't as surprised as I was. Apparently it was the norm for him to scare the living shit out of students. Still, she thought justice should be served. "You should report him to Dumbledore."

"No. No way..." I shook my head, "I can't. Snape would kill me…" Luna sighed and looked down at her watch. It was time for class, which cut the conversation short. I got up and placed a hand on my forehead, sensing an oncoming headache, "I've got to go to Transfiguration." I opened the stall door, "I'll see you at dinner..."


	4. Chapter 4

It was 6:15, and I sat silently at the dinner table, staring at my food. I dared not look over in Snape's direction at any time. In fact, I didn't look at anyone. I was too afraid to even move. By this time, all of my friends knew about what had happened. I had repeated the story at least five times. "Are you _still_ upset?" Hermione directed her attention back to me after having a long conversation with Ginny Weasley.

"I'm not upset, I'm…confused."

"Listen, Professor Snape hates every student in this school who isn't a Slytherin or a pure or half blood." Hermione explained, "You're a Ravenclaw, and you're a muggle. You're the perfect person for him to hate."

"But that's the thing, Hermione..." I said quietly, "I don't think he hates me at all…"

"...Well, what could he possibly want with you?" Hermione asked.

"I know as much as you do…" I really did have no idea, but I needed to find out soon for my safety's sake.

The following weekend I decided that I needed to come out of my shell a little, so, I joined the Frog Choir. Singing had always been a passion of mine. With all the alone time I had at the orphanage, singing just came naturally. The conductor, and head of my house, Filius Flitwick, assured me I was in good hands and that, after hearing my audition, I was going to bring great talent to the choir. I also took up drawing again, another skill of mine. I liked sitting in the courtyard and sketching the womping willow or even another student sat nearby. I'd even done a portrait of Luna. I _really_ liked Luna. She and I spent a lot of time together chatting, reading, doing homework, and playing with her spectrespecs. And she was the one who started my obsession with her father's wizarding tabloid _The Quibbler_. She wasn't afraid to be herself, a quality I had the utmost respect for. We clicked really quickly. In fact, I'd never liked someone so much.

"Just as the 'Yule Ball' is a tradition of 'the Tri-wizard Tournament', the 'Warlocks' Prom' is a newly founded tradition of 'the Clash of Magic'." Professor McGonagall explained to the student body, "It will be a dance held on the night of Halloween." She clarified that the Clash of Magic was a dangerous tournament consisting of 3 tasks, much like the Tri-wizard Tournament, and that we'd be competing against an American wizarding school named Beetlerot Institution of Sorcery and Witchcraft. Competitors would be picked at random, which made anyone like me who hated getting involved with anything want to vomit. The way we'd know we were chosen was that our wands would glow, as if under the lumos charm, and vibrate. After learning that, I wanted to throw my wand out a window.

"Do you think either of us will be chosen?" Luna asked.

"I hope not."

Luna and I sat in the library the next morning, holding up and pretending to read our Herbology textbooks which hid our latest issues of the Quibbler, which we were really reading, inside. We were both giggling at how this week's issue theorized that Sirius Black was actually Stubby Boardman of The Hobgoblins, one of my favourite rock bands. "Your dad's hilarious. I don't know how I've managed to live seventeen years without this magazine." I smiled as I flipped through the pages. Luna smiled back silently.

"I have something to show you." She got up from the table, took my hand and led me through the hallways and up flights of stairs until we reached the 7th floor in the left corridor. We stopped in front of the tapestry depicting the attempt of Barnabus the Barmy to teach trolls ballet. Luna walked past it 3 times, and a secret door appeared. She took me inside, let out a sigh of relief, and turned to me with a nervous smile, "There's usually Syltherin students in here...doing...inappropriate things...But I guess we got lucky." She led me to the middle of the room and drew her wand. She then began drawing circles with it, "Expecto Patronum!" An energy force known as patronus came from the tip of Luna's wand and danced around us. It brought instant smiles to our faces.

"What is it?" I asked.

"A spirit guardian." Luna's gaze followed the string of silver light. "It's a projection of all your positive feelings. It's also a defense against dementors…" The light transformed into a hare that hopped gleefully around us. "Now you try." She told me, "Think of your happiest memories, and cast the spell." I couldn't think of even _one_ happy memory, though. My whole life had revolved around being alone and miserable, but once I thought about it, I supposed the night I had met Hagrid and was told I was leaving the orphanage was the best day of my life. I thought of when Hagrid and I shared a hug and how it was the only one I'd ever received in 17 years. I thought of how Wingbeak and I trusted each other immediately and formed an unbreakable bond. The excitement and disbelief I had felt when I learned I was going to learn witchcraft and attend a magical school was a feeling I'd never forget. Luna took hold of my hand that was grasped onto my wand, and started to circle it. She nodded her head, telling me to cast the spell.

"Expecto Patronum!" The same silver light then emerged from my own wand. Luna smiled and we watched it transform into a fox.

"That's your patronus, Fay." She kept her eyes on me as I watched the fox rub up against my leg and trot around us with Luna's hare. It was such a happy moment. It was if the memories of the orphanage had just drifted away. I felt her take hold of my wrist and turn me toward her. "You have beautiful eyes. They're...hypnotic..." I blushed. She intertwined our fingers and smiled into my eyes. With our patronuses dancing around us, Luna stepped closer and kissed me softly on the lips. I was shocked, but I didn't pull away. I'd never had a kiss before. After a few seconds, there was a roar of gasps and laughs like fireworks going off. The kiss ended as I stared at the faces of fellow students, who had obviously been hiding under invisibility cloaks, surrounding us, pointing and snapping pictures. I looked at Luna who was expressionless. She just looked back, ignoring the hype. It was no little innocent kiss any more.

Throughout the following week, I realized I'd never received so much attention in my life. Luna and I were on every cover of _the Daily Prophet_ , so basically every witch and wizard who was capable of reading knew what had happened between us. We were harassed in every way, shape, and form. Luna's shoes were stolen, and spitballs attacked me during classes and Wingbeak when he would attempt to deliver letters to me.

I sat in potions class staring at my feet. Students around me were muttering and whispering about me, not caring if I could hear them or not. The same was probably happening to Luna. Professor Snape was sat as his desk reading the same issue of _the Daily Prophet_ that featured myself and Luna on the cover kissing and then being caught by our peers. He folded it over and glared at me. "Quiet!" He ordered the chatty class. The noise immediately died down.

"Professor," Malfoy called from the back of the room, "d'ya think Loony Lovegood snuck that kissing concoction in Woodcroft's pumpkin juice when she wasn't looking?" The class erupted into a fit of laughter. I hugged my issue of _the Quibbler_ to my heart.

_Fuck you, Malfoy._

Snape rolled his eyes and tossed the newspaper into the bin next to his desk. I don't think he found it too funny. I watched the moving picture of me and Luna on the cover of the discarded newspaper, and sighed. I guessed I had to get used to being ridiculed; it was everywhere thanks to Rita Skeeter and whoever reported us to her. But thanks to my newly discovered patronus, I supposed I didn't have to let the chaos and harassment get to me; I had my very own guardian.


	5. Chapter 5

It was a beautiful day in early October when I got the news. I spent the Saturday afternoon in the library with Luna, Parvarti, and Neville Longbottom, reading Transfiguration Today. There was a story inside about a young witch who had tried to transfigure herself into a pegacorn and, because it was done improperly, she remained permanently stuck as the horse. I had to reread it to believe it. None of us really said anything for a while until I saw Neville staring at my wand like it was a big, hairy tarantula. It was on top of the table next to Luna's stack of _the Quibbler_ , glowing and vibrating.

"Fay!" Neville gasped a little too loudly, "You-...you've been chosen!"

"For what? For what?" I panicked.

"Shhh!" The librarian shushed us from her desk.

"But, ma'am," Neville stood from his chair, announcing to everyone in the library, "She's been chosen for the Clash of Magic!" I slumped down in my chair and folded my arms, no longer panicked, but frustrated.

_Of course. Of course I have._

I stared at the floor angrily for a few minutes before Luna waved her hand in front of my face and broke my stare. "You okay?" She giggled.

"...Yeah." I lied.

"Good. So, daddy told me to invite you over for dinner next weekend. Want to come? He's dying to meet you."

"Is he?" I asked.

"Yes. There'll be pudding." She smiled. Xenophilius Lovegood was, or so I had heard, just as bizarre and quirky as his daughter. To many, he was nothing but a fool and a fraud, but I stopped listening to people's opinions a long time ago.

Luna and I took a train from Hogsmeade to Devon that following Friday night to Ottery St. Catchpole, a little town where she and her father lived. During the ride, she and I discussed what had happened between us in the room of requirement. Quite bluntly, Luna told me that she liked me. _A lot._ We had so much in common, and enjoyed each other's company more than anyone else's. So, we made it official, deciding to keep it only between ourselves until Luna assured me her father would be more than accepting of it. It was a happy moment, but it was also heart-rending; I had a great deal of feeling for Harry Potter as well.

Luna's house was black with a strange cylindrical shape, kind of like a chess rook, and sat on top of a hill with a stream at the base of it. In the garden was a variety of odd-looking plants and flowers, and a little owl was perched on a tree branch. The closer we got to the house, the delicious scent of crab apples and Dirigible plums became stronger. Luna took my hand and knocked on the front door with an eagle-shaped knocker. A few seconds later, it opened and a man who looked like the male version of Luna emerged. He was a very attractive wizard, but obviously a little...different. His shoulder length platinum blonde hair was like candyfloss, and his blue eyes sparkled just like Luna's. He wore a beige, stringy jacket, matching pants, and brown flats. His necklace bore the symbol of the deathly hallows which included the elder wand, the resurrection stone, and the cloak of invisibility. If he weren't a wizard, I would've thought he was some sort of hippie.

"Luna, my darling!" He swept his daughter off the floor and twirled her around in a hug. I couldn't imagine her weighing anything over 7.5 stone.

She giggled, "Daddy, this is Fay Woodcroft."

Her dad shook my hand, "Oh, I know who you are. Xenophilius Lovegood. I've heard a lot about you, Miss Woodcroft. Come inside." He stepped aside and let us in. We followed him into the kitchen. I was overwhelmed by the amount of colour in the room; everything including the stove and sinks were painted brightly with flowers, birds, and insects. Luckily, because it filled the room with its pungency, whatever Mr. Lovegood was cooking smelled _amazing_.

"Come on." Luna took my hand and led me up a spiral staircase that led to her room. The carpet was blue, the walls were white, and the ceiling was painted with breathtaking pictures of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, and Neville with the word 'friends' written in golden ink. Scattered on the floor were art supplies like paintbrushes and bottles of paint. Luna grinned, excitedly, "Grab a brush. Let's get to work."

In a little less than two hours, Luna and I created something beautiful, a painting on the once blank wall facing her bed of her and me holding hands. Written above it in the same gold ink was 'amare', the Latin word for 'love' I had learned in the Frog Choir. Luna smiled up at it, as did I. I'd never felt this way before, especially about another girl, but it didn't bother me in the slightest. Her father called us down for dinner soon after. He had baked a steak and kidney pie, a favourite of mine, Dragon tartare, brussell sprouts, and Yorkshire puddings. To drink, we had pumpkin juice. As we ate, we talked about _the Quibbler_ , and our strange beliefs. "I'm telling you, Rufus Scrimgeour is a vampire!" Mr. Lovegood told us repeatedly. Near the end of the meal, Luna brought up our new-found relationship. I looked down, unable to make eye contact with Mr. Lovegood. "Daddy, Fay and I have something to tell you." She smiled confidently.

"Oh?" Her father popped a sprout in his mouth.

_Here we go..._

"We're in love." She announced without hesitation. Her father was silent for a moment, but a grin slowly spread across his face. It wasn't what I was expecting at all.

"That's wonderful, pumpkin."

_Well, he's taking this remarkably well…_

"I read your front page article in the Daily Prophet a while ago."

"We want to go to the Warlocks' Prom together...but, of course, that's impossible..." Luna sighed. I had to agree, it was pretty shitty that same-sex couples weren't allowed. Her father looked across the room, his finger against his mouth as he thought. "...Maybe it isn't..."

"Hm?"

"...Cross-gender transfiguration…" I looked at Luna's father like he had grown two heads. "You two _can_ go to the prom...if you use cross-gender transfiguration."

"Ready, my angel?" Next thing I knew, we were in the living room and Mr. Lovegood had his spiraled wand pointed at his daughter, who remained as calm as ever, while I, of course, was biting at my fingers. There were books and papers scattered everywhere, and on top of a desk was a printing press with newly printed out copies of _the Quibbler_ surrounding it that I was incredibly tempted to steal.

"Yes, Daddy. I'm ready." Luna nodded. In the blink of an eye and the flick of a wand, Luna's waist long blonde hair shortened until it stopped at her chin, her jaw widened, her eyebrows lowered and lost their arched shape, and she grew about seven inches taller. As for her clothes, her purple flowered dress vanished and turned into an everyday Hogwarts uniform for boys. It was as if a younger version of her father had appeared. My mouth dropped open and nearly hit the floor.

"Well, _hello_ , son." Mr. Lovegood laughed in disbelief. "How handsome you look."

Luna felt her new face, "...It…It worked?...How do I look?" Her squeaky voice had dropped to a low pitch.

"See for yourself." I passed her a mirror from on top of Mr. Lovegood's desk. Luna put her hand over her mouth as she stared into the mirror at her new reflection.

She grabbed at her hair and felt her face again, "I-...I can't believe it...It's like...I'm looking at myself...but there's a different person looking back…"

"Use this spell for the prom, and no one will suspect a thing." Mr. Lovegood assured us.


	6. Chapter 6

October 12th seemed to come in the blink of an eye. It was the day of the first task, and I lay in bed with my face buried in Greystoke's fur. "Fay, what're you still doing in bed?" Luna rushed through the door. "The first task is in half an hour! We're waiting at the arena! Get up, lazy bones!"

"Ughhhhh…" I groaned; I was tired, and extremely nervous. None of the Hogwarts competitors (me, Susan Bones, Harry, Malfoy, Parvarti, and Pansy Parkinson) had any idea of what the first task would entail, so that only made it worse. It was going to be even harder to work with differing houses who usually hated each other any other day.

Luna sat on my bed as I threw on my uniform and hustled to put my makeup on. I put on an extra layer of mascara and threw my hair up in a ponytail. I looked in the mirror.

 _Hm...I should get a haircut…_ I touched my head, stalling.

"Hello?" Luna snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out of our room.

I felt like Luna was doing my walking for me when we arrived at the arena; my legs had gone back to feeling like noodles. Luna gave me a kiss on the cheek and straightened my tie before she left for the stands, and I made my way over to the other 5 competitors. Harry stood at the end of the line. I smiled at him, and he smiled back. "Nervous?"

"Oh yeah." Harry nodded, not embarrassed to admit it. I scooted closer to him. He noticed but didn't recoil. In fact, I could've sworn I'd heard a small chuckle. All 12 of the competitors had their wands gripped in one hand, and their brooms in the other. Flying was not a challenge for me. It came quite naturally, to be honest. I noticed Pansy and Malfoy staring at the American team with disgust.

"Americans…" Malfoy spat, "They don't stand a chance against us. Well, at least _you and me_ , anyway." He told Pansey, eyeing me and Harry.

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Malfoy." I sighed, not in the mood to put up with his bullshit, "just this once can you stifle your enormous fucking ego and contribute to the team? And maybe, just maybe Hogwarts might have the slightest chance of winning the tournament."

Malfoy looked astonished that I'd sworn at him, but soon he grinned pompously, "Like I said, we'll win because of _us_. You'll see." He threw his arm around Pansy's shoulder, "You can thank me later, Woodcroft."

Before I could argue back, Dumbledore had announced with his wand pressed to his neck, "ATTENTION! I'd like to start off the first task of the Clash of Magic by welcoming our competitor, Beetlerot Institution of Sorcery and Witchcraft from the United States."

"Pffft." Malfoy rolled his eyes.

"I wish you the best of luck as well as our Hogwarts team of Draco Malfoy of Slytherin,"

"Announced first as per usual." Malfoy smiled smugly.

"Susan Bones of Hufflepuff, Parvarti Patil of Gryffindor, Harry Potter of Gryffindor, Pansy Parkinson of Slytherin, and Fay Woodcroft of Ravenclaw." Loud cheers followed each of our names, slightly less for me and Harry. We smiled and waved at the small section of people who had applauded us. "This task requires you to pluck up your courage and strength in order to defeat your individual doppelgängers." Dumbledore revealed.

 _Doppelgänger?_ I had no idea what the word meant. I assumed it was another wizard slang term.

"Good luck to you all. Our first contestant is Angelica Mockridge of Beetlerot." A tall, skinny, blonde girl from the American team walked to the middle of the arena. All of us watched anxiously, waiting for this 'doppelgänger' to appear. The stands fell silent. A moment later, an apparition materialized right in front of Angelica. It wore her same exact outfit, had her same long blonde hair, and stood just as tall as she did. The closer I looked, the clearer it became. It was _her_.

_We have to fight ourselves?_

The doppelgänger pulled out its wand, alerting Angelica.

"Alarte ascendare!" She yelled, her wand stuck out. The doppelgänger used the shield charm to block the spell.

"DEPULSO!" It sent Angelica flying backward toward the stands. With a look of sheer terror on her face, Angelica hopped onto her broom and tried to get away. Her doppelgänger followed close behind, leaving the arena empty besides the remaining contestants. Chatter filled the stands.

"Coward…" Malfoy muttered.

Harry looked over and noticed the discomfort in my face, "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah…"

He placed a hand on my shoulder and smiled, making me tremble, "You'll be fine."

I nodded. I wondered when Angelica would return, if she would return at all.

Two hours had passed, and three students had been disqualified from the tournament. Angelica was suffering from broken bones and had been rushed to the hospital wing, Parvarti had been put under the body-bind curse, and was still in it, and Pansy had just not returned. I was up next. I shuffled over to the center of the arena, my heart beating at the speed of light. Luna was giving me thumbs up and blowing kisses. Hermione, Cho, and Padma sat next to her smiling and waving. A few stands down sat professor Snape, surrounded by the Slytherin house. His piercing black eyes were locked on me, hardly ever blinking.

My attention turned to the apparition forming in front of me. I was staring myself in the face, only my doppelgänger had fierce, blood red eyes that I'd sworn I'd seen before. I could feel myself shivering in fear, but I wasn't going to fly off like Angelica. I was going to stand and fight, that was until my doppelgänger caught me by surprise and pointed its wand at me, "Everte statum!" I flipped backward and landed hard on my back. "Lacarnum Inflamarae!" A ball of fire came at me, but I quickly dodged it. I hopped on my broom; it would seem I was counteracting my 'standing and fighting'. I kicked off the ground and soared into the sky. I looked back. My doppelgänger was already hot on my tail. It cast the spell again, but this time it hit me. It burnt the back of my clothes and hair. I shrieked in pain and flew downward.

"Immobulus!" I turned around on my broom to cast the spell. It caused my doppelgänger to freeze which bought me some time. I flew over the Black Lake and into the Forbidden Forest. I knew it was off limits to all students, but I hoped I could escape there.

The deeper I flew into the forest, the darker it became. So dark that I eventually had to stop. I looked back, silence surrounding me. For all I knew, I could've been the only living soul in the forest. I landed, caught my breath, and started to shiver; the temperature had dropped considerably. I then noticed a depressing, dark figure gliding silently toward me, and, instead of running away, I stupidly stood and stared. It was cloaked and at least 10 feet tall. The decision not to run away was a poor one, because the figure had pulled back its hood, and I could feel it sucking, like my face was being stretched. I screamed in horror. I soon realized that this figure must have been a dementor. It had empty eye sockets and horrible scabby skin. It grabbed me by the neck and sucked powerfully. I tried to scream for help, but it only came out as a faint whisper. Remembering I had my wand in my possession, I tried to think up any possible spell I could use to repel the dementor. I recalled that one Luna had taught me in the room of requirement...the one she said could save a person from a dementor attack.

_What the fuck is it called?!_

I couldn't remember. I rummaged my brain for any clue as to what the spell was called.

_...Ex...Expetro...Expectro..._

I could feel the life being sucked out of me to the point where I had become nearly immobile.

_EXPECTO..._

I panicked.

_Patro...Patronus?...EXPECTO...EXPECT...EXPECTO PATRONUM._

Feeling death closing in, I whipped out my wand and screamed with all my might, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A beautiful string of light emerged from my wand and formed into the same fox as before. Though very little, it stood strong and proud in front of me. I couldn't see anything over the shield, but after about a minute, it died down and the dementor was gone. I whimpered as tears escaped my eyes.

_I nearly died._

But it wasn't over. I turned around just in time to dodge the cruciartus curse from my doppelgänger's wand. Unfortunately, I was too weak to miss the following spell.

"Sectumsempra!" I fell to the floor in excruciating pain, feeling like I'd been slashed by a sword. Blood oozed from my arms and legs, creating puddles below me. I was _definitely_ going to die. I watched through half shut eyes my doppelgänger walk slowly toward me, presumably ready to kill me. I shut my eyes. I pictured Luna crying over my grave, and Hermione, Harry, Parvarti, and Neville giving a tear-filled eulogy.

_You selfish cow...You can't die...Get up and fight!_

I forced myself up, as painful as it was, and yelled, "AVADA KEDAVRA!" In the blink of an eye, my doppelgänger died right in front of me. I sighed deeply.

_I've done it._

Desperate to get out of the forest, I hopped onto my broom and flew back to the arena. The breeze whipped through my choppy hair; I'd lost a fair amount of it from the fire. A loud applause welcomed me back, but before I landed, I blacked out.

Something bad had happened, I just couldn't remember what. Pain was spiraling through my body. I was covered in scars and gashes and dried blood, and I'd sworn I'd broke something. Luna sat on the side of the bed, "Wakey wakey. You're still in, Fay." She smiled.

"…Huh?"

"You're still in the tournament. You did it." She put a hand on my shoulder.

"H-how? What happened?" I winced in pain.

"You had a rather nasty fall. You flew back to the arena and…well…you collapsed off your broom in midair…"

"I'm surprised her screaming didn't wake you up." Angelica complained from across the room, holding an ice pack on her head. We ignored her.

"I'm just glad you're okay." Luna smiled and stroked my hand. She occasionally stopped to wipe a tear away from her cheek.

"Orchideous!" A voice called, and a bouquet of flowers appeared on my bedside table. It was Hagrid. "'Ello, Fay. Tha was quite a fall you 'ad!"

"Hello, Hagrid." I grinned. This man I'd only met a few months ago was already like a father to me. Just the sight of him made me feel better. "Yeah…I…I really can't remember." I asked who else was still in the tournament and who had been disqualified. I was quite happy to learn a Slytherin, Pansy, had been disqualified despite her being on my team. Luna told me that her doppelgänger had left her stranded on the top of the Astronomy tower and she couldn't get down. I laughed. Malfoy was _wrong_. "Agh!" A sharp pain shot up my arm. "Everything bloody hurts..."

"I'll take care of that, dear." The matron, Madam Pomfrey, made her way over to me with a cup of tea. She placed it on my bedside table next to the flowers. She turned to my visitors, "She must rest." hinting at them to leave.

"Take care, Fay." Hagrid nodded and left.

"I love you." Luna smiled, kissed my cheek, and followed behind him, waving before the door shut.

After sipping my tea and taking a short nap, Pomfrey returned to my bedside with her wand, "Brackium amendo!" All of a sudden, the pain I felt in my arms and legs had gone. "Episkey!" The split on my lip and the gashes on my body disappeared. It was as if the battle had never happened.

I shook my head and grinned in disbelief, "Incredible..."


	7. Chapter 7

Before we knew it, Halloween night had arrived, and I was still getting used to my pixie cut. It looked rather cute to be honest, but there were horrible scars on my neck from the fire scorch. After waiting for Cho and Padma to leave, Luna and I stood nervously in front of the tall mirror in our dorm room, preparing to transfigure her into a male again. For my costume, I had chosen to be zombie Marilyn Monroe. I bought the dress and wig from Gladrags, and borrowed some high heels from Cho. I looked decent, despite Marilyn having beautiful blue eyes, and not terrifying mismatched ones like me.

Luna smiled at me through the mirror, "You look great!"

I smiled back, sadly, "Thanks…"

"What's wrong?"

"...Its just a shame we can't go together without using a disguise…"

"Hey," Luna put a hand on my shoulder, "it'll be worth it." She faced me, "Now, take out your wand." I did, and hesitantly pointed it at her. As the previous changes from our first trial occurred, I walked over to the closet and pulled out the huge case Luna's father had given us. It contained Luna's costume, the phantom of the opera. When I looked back at her, the process was complete. I passed her the costume, and she dressed in the bathroom. When she came out, she was beaming. "I'm so excited!" She jumped up and down like a child.

"Shall we get going then?"

Luna nodded and linked my arm, "I hope there's pudding!"

We arrived at the Great Hall a few minutes later. It was hardly recognizable due to the mob of Halloween decorations. Cobwebs and fake spiders hung from every corner, as well as skeletons and gargoyles and ghosts, not to mention the house ghosts themselves. It was extremely dark, floating candles being the only source of light in the room. It was gorgeous, but before we went any further, I remembered something extremely important, "I just realized we need to come up with a name in case you're introduced to anyone!"

"Hm...How about...Lysander…?"

"Lysander?"

"Yes. It's from A Midsummer Night's Dream." Once we got to the dance floor, I scanned the room full of students and professors, looking for anyone familiar. I managed to spot Hermione with a few of her friends. Professor Snape was nearby, leaned up against a wall, staring at me intently.

_How the hell can he tell its me?_

I quickly looked away and noticed Professor Flitwick assembling the choir together. He eventually got to me and led me to the choral risers. All of us in various Halloween costumes, we sang Double Trouble, followed by choral versions of the Monster Mash, Thriller, This is Halloween, I Put a Spell on You, and Welcome to My Nightmare.

"So, who's that boy you're with?" Hermione asked. At about eleven o'clock, Hermione and I met up near the snack table and had a sit down after a straight hour and a half of dancing. She was dressed as a cat, and she'd noticed the 'new student' I had as my date, and that he'd literally appeared out of nowhere. We were joined by Luna a few minutes later.

"Oh, yeah, um, Lysander's...an exchange student...from...Australia..."

Luna tried to conceal her chuckling as she shook Hermione's hand. "Would you excuse me? I need to use the restroom." She said in her best Australian accent. She smiled at us and left.

"Don't you think he looks an awful look like Xenophilius Lovegood?" Hermione asked, her eyebrows narrowed.

_Stop being so fucking nosy, Hermione!_

"...Yeahhh...uhhhh, so what was the homework for Potions?" I tried to change the subject before she got too suspicious.

Luna returned about five minutes later, and she linked my arm, "Nice meeting you, Hermione." After about another hour of dancing, bobbing for apples, and eating endless amounts of goulash and stew, a few different bands took the stage and performed songs from their latest albums, and some more Halloween classics. Luna and I slow danced to what from then on would be our special song.

_Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight_

_Lead me out on the moonlit floor_

_Lift your open hand_

_Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance_

_Silver moon's sparkling, so kiss me_

As I danced with Luna, I looked to my right and saw Professor Snape still stood watching me like I was a rare, mystical creature, like he wanted to capture me and make me his own, to put me in one of those disgusting jars in his classroom and preserve me. I looked away.

When the Weird Sisters took the stage, Luna left for the bathroom again. I supposed she wasn't used to her 'new wand'. I continued dancing alone, but I was soon joined by Harry.

He tapped me on the shoulder, "Hi!" At first, I didn't know it was him, because when I turned around, I came face to face with Spider-man. When I didn't answer, he took off the mask. He looked _gorgeous_. He hair was all shaggy and the costume really showed off his slender body. We sat down and spoke and told jokes for a while. We even grabbed a glass of water each and sneakily cast a spell on them, "Eye of rabbit, harp string hum, turn this water in to rum", and the rest of the night just became a blurry euphoria. Much to my surprise, Luna never came back, causing Harry and I to bond over the loud music. I'd only met this guy a few months ago, but I felt like I'd known Harry Potter for a lifetime. 

At 1 o'clock in the morning, the prom ended, and we were instructed to go back to our dorms, but instead of returning to the Ravenclaw dorm, I left with Harry to the Gryffindor dorm where we did something that was _completely_ unexpected.

"Harry, I had an amazing time with you tonight…" I sighed as we entered his Gryffindor dorm room hand in hand, still incredibly drunk. "I don't want this night to end ever."

"Well," He smirked, "Who says it has to?" At first, I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that.

_Are we going back to the party?_

Well, as it turned out, we were going to have a little party of our own.

I woke up at 3 in the morning in a bed that wasn't mine. I looked over and saw Harry, fast asleep with his arms around me. I panicked.

What have I gotten in to?

I carefully slithered out of Harry's grasp, put my dress back on, and looked back at him. _We'd actually had sex_. I was so shocked at the amount of love I felt for this guy. I gave him a kiss on his snow white forehead, and left the room as quietly as possible.

It was like a ghost town in the hallways; I couldn't hear a sound besides my cautious footsteps and the peaceful crackles of the fire in the lamps that hung from the walls. Just as I reached the staircase, I heard footsteps coming my way, and froze. I listened again and heard nothing, so I proceeded up the stairs to the Ravenclaw dorm, picking up my pace. When I thought the coast was clear, I started to run, afraid of being caught by Filch and Mrs. Norris, but when I turned a corner, I bumped right into someone. _Game over._

I gasped, and when I looked up, it was none other than Professor Snape. I felt my heart stop. His expression, as usual, was unreadable. He must have been curious as to why a young Ravenclaw was wondering the halls at 3 in the morning, and I didn't blame him. "Excuse me, professor." I pardoned myself and tried to pass him. I failed, as he grabbed my upper arm, and yanked me back in front of him.

He growled, "What do you think you're doing, Woodcroft...at this time of night?"

"I-…I-…"

"You're lucky I don't report you to Dumbledore. Tell me what you're up to right…now…"

"I-...I was working with a friend in the Gryffindor dorm on our herbology homework, sir." I said the first thing that came to my mind.

"Fay," Snape snarled, "I am prepared to drag you to the headmaster's office and make you beg him to reconsider expulsion, so I suggest you tell me what you're up to."

"Sir, please, I'm just trying to get back to the Ravenclaw dorm." His hand released my arm and softly stroked the side of my face. He looked like he was about to kiss me. He caressed my short hair and let out a quiet moan. My eyes widened.

"Who...was that boy you were with, Woodcroft?" He whispered in my ear, giving off the scent of strong alcohol. He chuckled deeply. "You naughty girl...Don't go messing with my feelings...or there will be dire consequences..."

Frightened, I pulled away and ran as fast as I could down the hall to safety. When I arrived at my dorm room, I found Luna passed out on her bed, no longer under the transfiguration spell. There was a bucket on the floor next to her that she had vomited into numerous times. Without bothering to change into my pajamas, I lay down next to her and held her tightly from behind. I couldn't believe what I'd done to my girlfriend. I felt _terrible_.


	8. Chapter 8

Closer to Christmas time, students began to receive letters and packages from their families back home, and everyone, including myself, even though I had no family to receive gifts from, was in a joyous mood. Luna, Hermione, Harry, Ron, the Weasley twins, the Patil twins, and I sat at the dining table, laughing and reminiscing about past Christmas mornings, when I looked across the room and saw Snape watching me, as usual. He was acting strangely lately, not that he didn't before, but he almost always chose me for demonstrations in class, except when he felt like tormenting Ron. He watched me walk from class to class with my friends, he watched me read, he watched me eat, he basically watched my every move. I had forgotten about that little confrontation with the professor back in September. Hogwarts just got weirder and weirder as each day passed, and that incident was nowhere near the top of the list. But with the second task coming up, I had better things to worry about than Snape.

On the day of the second task, December 12th, all eight of the contestants were transported from Hogwarts to the North Sea where Azkaban prison was located. The goal of the task was to escape the prison using only our wands without being seen by the dementors that guarded it. No one said a word as the boat took us over to the prison. It was a nerve-wracking moment, especially when the prison came into view. Harry, Susan Bones, and I just stared at the floor of the boat as the violent wind blew through our hair. Even Malfoy looked nervous, but his head was turned, concealing his true feelings through a hardened face. The second boat which was a few feet away from ours carried the remaining four students from Beetlerot.

The boats docked, and we were escorted inside the prison by several dementors. It was freezing cold, dark, and damp. The Beetlerot students were led into a hall to the left, and we were taken down a hall to the right. The four of us were huddled together in fear; this prison was home to the most dangerous criminals in the wizarding world. We were individually locked inside cells with our wands, and then the dementors left and returned to their guarding positions. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The only sound I heard was water dripping from the ceiling and hitting the floor.

_How am I possibly going to escape without being caught?_

My first instinct, and probably everyone else's, was to use the unlocking charm. Even if the cell door was under the colloportus charm, it could be countered with the unlocking charm. "Alohomora!" I whispered, and the lock fell to the floor with a rather loud clanging sound. As I slowly made my way out of the cell, I heard Malfoy being a smart arse and trying to simply apparate from the prison itself. He obviously didn't realize that Azkaban had an anti-apparition jinx on it.

He grunted frustratedly. "Bombarda!" There was an explosion, and I came face to face with Malfoy when I left my cell. There was a giant hole in his cell door. "See you later, Mudblood." He laughed and ran off. I was so close to stopping him; he was without a doubt going to get caught.

_Why shouldn't he though?_

He deserved to lose more than any of us, and was threatening everyone else's chances of winning. I pointed my wand at Malfoy who was already at the end of the hallway, "Cantis!" I had to bite my tongue to stop myself from laughing when he broke out into song. I hid inside my opened cell, holding my breath as I watched Malfoy being dragged away by two dementors.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS, WOODCROFT." He sang, almost in an opera. When I stepped back out of my cell, I used the silencing charm to temporarily mute my footsteps as I ran frantically down the hallway. When I turned a corner, I bumped into something, but when I looked, nothing was there.

"Watch it!" It sounded like a boy from the American school. As he took off running, his feet became visible; he was using an invisibility cloak which was against the rules. I stopped in front of a cell to catch my breath, and to quickly ponder what to do next. Inside the cell was a woman sat on the floor. Her hands were shackled to the walls, and her head was hung over. She had wild, frizzy brunette hair, and she was wearing a striped prison uniform. Even though every move I made was silenced by the charm I used, the woman slowly lifted her head up and her dark eyes landed on me. She was strikingly skinny, and the bags under her eyes made it look like she hadn't slept in days, maybe even weeks, but when she saw me, her eyes lit up like she'd seen an angel.

"...Morgan…?" She whispered, her mouth open. She was obviously insane and delusional, so I continued on, my feet going as fast as they could. "MORGAN FEY RIDDLE." She cackled and screamed hysterically. "I'VE FOUND HER! I'VE FOUND HER!"

The first one to escape Azkaban was Harry. He had used the diminuendo charm to shrink and make his way out practically unseen. As for myself, I used the stunning spell to render the dementors in my way unconscious. Malfoy and Susan were eliminated from the tournament, as well as the boy I had caught cheating from Beetlerot, and one of his female team members. On the way back to Hogwarts, I told Harry about the woman I had seen, and how she called me 'Morgan'. We both agreed she must have mistaken me for someone else.

_Although, not many people look like me..._

Despite this, I had survived yet another dangerous situation, and I would be moving on to the third and final task in February.


End file.
